Ungoverned landscapes: analyzing post-conflict resettlement in Sdao commune in northwest Cambodia

Abstract

Purpose – When Cambodia's long civil war ended in the late 1990s, land on the former frontlines in the northwest was officially closed for resettlement. However, spontaneous resettlement occurred as land was informally claimed by demobilized soldiers, returnees from refugee camps and the landless poor. These areas were often heavily littered with the explosive remnants of war, and landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) wounded and killed numerous post-war settlers. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based upon data collected in 2009 in three villages in Sdao commune in Battambang province. Ethnographic research methods were used to conduct the research, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews and demographic mapping. Findings – The article illustrates how the desire to farm and the prospect of acquiring land rights drove resettlement into a hazardous place. The study demonstrates that this resettlement occurred when the Cambodian state and the international humanitarian sector failed to provide durable policy solutions for vulnerable post-war populations. An ethnographic example is provided of a woman attempting to live in precarious terrain. Her family and others expressed a need to risk occupancy in order to secure land, food and futures for their children. Originality/value – These findings may assist policymakers working on the complex disasters posed by conflicts in recognizing the polyvalent and overlapping vulnerabilities of populations needing resettlement.

Keywords

• Cambodia
• Vulnerability
• Risk perceptions
• Landmines
• Post-conflict resettlement
• War-altered landscapes